Tebow catches passes: Bill Belichick refused to tip his hand when meeting with the media prior to practice, and Tebow said even less when asked about his role after practice, but what happened between is sure to cause a certain level of intriguing. Midway through Friday’s practice, when the receivers and running backs were working through a tackling drill, Tebow jumped in with the skill players and caught three or four passes from backup quarterback Ryan Mallett.

What’s this mean? That’s yet to be determined. Tebow worked as a quarterback throughout the rest of the session, where he threw some interceptions, was forced from the pocket a couple times and mixed in some good throws. Earlier in the practice, during a 7-on-7 passing drill, Tebow was unable to get the ball out and was forced to scramble. He later threw an interception that hit safety Nate Ebner in the numbers.

(And before we go crazy over Tebow catching a couple passes, it’s worth noting that Ryan Mallett has caught passes before and has stood in during special teams drills.)

Mallett not sharp: It’s doubtful that Tebow will supplant Mallett as Tom Brady’s top backup, but the former Arkansas quarterback didn’t do much to help himself Friday afternoon. Mallett completed about 60 percent of his passes during 11-on-11 drills, but his decision-making seemed slow and he was forced to take a few sacks. He also should have been picked off a few times.

Brady OK: Unlike his understudies, Brady put together a solid(ish) practice. He was (unofficially) 9 of 13 during 11-on-11 drills and helped put together a few highlights by dropping a pass over safety Adrian Wilson’s head to a streaking Jake Ballard, and later hit Danny Amendola for a diving catch on the sidelines.

Dobson better: After an up-and-down minicamp that featured several dropped passes, rookie wide receiver Aaron Dobson put together a solid first day of training camp. He had a few solid catches and appeared to only have one drop, which came on a Tebow pass. While the players did rotate in and out, it’s worth noting that Dobson received some time alongside Amendola and Ballard.

Fellow rookie Josh Boyce also had a solid day.

Ballard better: Worth noting that Ballard appeared to move much better during Friday’s practice after appearing a little stiff and slow in minicamp. He received the bulk of the work with the top unit, with undrafted rookie Zach Sudfeld working with the second unit. His performance was mixed with some good plays and some bad ones.

Corner look: Kyle Arrington received some time on the outside opposite Aqib Talib during 11-on-11 drills. Later in the session he moved inside to the slot and Alfonzo Denanrd took his spot on the outside. Dennard received some time in the slot during 7-on-7s.

Notes: Rookie Jamie Collins looked sharp during practice and came in for Brandon Spikes on “passing downs” during team drills … TE Brandon Ford had a drop … Stevan Ridley fumbled during a 2-on-1 tacking drill … Kamar Aiken had the play of day when he juggled a pass to himself over rookie Logan Ryan. … Talib had a great pass breakup on a pass intended for Dobson. ... Marcus Cannon worked as the starting right guard.